He became the youngest Parisian designer in history. Simon Porte Jacquemus was 18 when he left a small town in Provence and went to the French capital to study fashion. Although he didn't like it at school, he quickly conquered the local market. The Jacquemus brand was created as a tribute to his mother.
Simon Porte Jacquemus, the grandson of Provençal farmers, dreamed of designing from an early age. He entered adulthood immediately choosing the fashion school l'Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de Mode in Paris, which he started in 2008.
A year later he became disappointed by his classmates lack of enthusiasm for the profession he was learning and decided to start out on his own. He became the art director of Citizen K magazine, during which time his mother was killed in a car accident. This upheaval mobilized him to fulfill his biggest dream: creating a fashion brand. He founded it as a tribute to his mother, who became his muse forever.
The youngest designer of Paris fashion week
He showed his first creations, minimalist and sensual, at Vogue Fashion Night Out in 2010. That same year he released a collection entitled Jacquemus en strike or Ouvrière highlighting the French people's love of striking with models of sexy demonstrator suits.
As a 22-year-old he was the youngest designer invited to participate in Paris fashion week. His designs have a simple cut, embellished with few details, but have something original about them. He describes his creations as 'naïve' fashion, intended to be stylistically accessible, almost popular. Three years later, he presented his first men's collection.
Before he begins to come up with a new collection, Jacquemus first gives it a title.
Fascinated by 1980s cinema, he invents the story, the music, the flow of the show, and puts it all down on paper. He draws inspiration from his childhood memories in the south of France, from umbrellas on the beach in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte to fields of lavender. Only then does he proceed to create the clothes - either on a mannequin or directly on the model. Most of the materials he uses come from a workwear supplier.
The iconic pieces
The Chiquito bag is the most successful of his designs. It first appeared in 2017 and immediately became a social media star. The it-bag since then has been scaled down several times to mini and then micro versions, eventually becoming a jewel in the form of an earring and even an addition to the brand's men's collections.
The Baci basket with tassels, the impressive Bomba straw cap available in all colours, the Santon hat, also in a straw version, the geometric heeled pumps from the La Bomba collection - this is the true DNA of the Jacquemus brand.
What's more, the transparent Pull Marine embroidered blouse in tribute to actress Isabelle Adjani, the timeless white Bahia shirt and the extremely sensual long dress with slit in Dao knit, as well as the bright pink oversize jacket presented at the Le Coup de Soleil anniversary fashion show, also caught the attention of fashion experts.
Among the muses
In June 2019 he celebrated the tenth anniversary of his house with a show in a blooming field of lavender. During Paris fashion week he presented the Summer 1997 collection in a sophisticated setting. Supermodel Laetitia Casta opened the show, after a ten-year absence from the catwalks, along with sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid and Doutzen Kroes.
Jacques' creative madness would be nothing without his muses, often invited to the young designer's shows. Seated in the front rows are, among others: Aya Nakamura, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Emily Ratajkowski, Tina Kunakey, Adele Exarchopoulos and Jeanne Damas. But always first and foremost for him will be his grandmother, with whom he sometimes contributes on social media, Isabelle Adjani and - of course - his mother.
Jacquemus for men:
Jacquemus for women:
